Toys

The LEGO Movie was a revelation when it hit theaters two years ago. A fun film with a hearty message, it featured a breakout performance from Will Arnett's Batman. Now with a spin-off set in motion, we haven't heard much of t...

The upcoming Power Rangers reboot may be releasing in five months, but we've only been shown one tiny teaser for it. When pressed about new footage at the NYCC panel, director Dean Isrealite stated they were saving a lot of t...

After The LEGO Movie pleasantly surprised, it naturally led to a number of planned sequels and spin-offs. With the actual follow up to the LEGO Movie not hitting theaters until 2019, our first taste is a spin-off featuri...

The LEGO Movie was one of the funnest animated films of the last few years, so naturally we were going to get a lot more of it. Luckily, first on the docket is the great looking LEGO Batman Movie. The first couple of trailers...

Remember Ouija? As part of toy company Hasbro's world domination, they teamed up with Blumhouse productions (Paranormal Activity, The Purge) and first, and only, time director Stiles White and released a terribly blah foray i...

May 10 //
Nick Valdez
We are currently in the midst of a 90s nostalgia boom. Just as the last decade was obsessed with capturing the vibe of the 80s, the 2010s have seen an increase in 90s pop culture revivals. Because "90s kids" like myself have grown into a subculture with true buying power, cinema is trying its best to cater to that market. Which means properties you used to love as a kid now have a chance of coming back. I'm sure you've seen some of the fruits of nostalgia lately: a new Powerpuff Girls series, Samurai Jack returning to Cartoon Network, Hey Arnold returning to Nickelodeon for a TV movie, Space Jam finally getting that sequel, Gilmore Girls' new season, Fuller House and Netflix's upcoming slate in general. It has gotten so ridiculous there is even talk of more Star Kid, Cruel Intentions and The Craft. If you saw it on VHS as a kid, there's probably a new version of it in the works.
Given the reboot crazy nature of cinema at the moment, it was only a matter of time before Power Rangers would get the film treatment as well. As a property, it's a film company's dream. It's going to be expensive, but Power Rangers has a rabid (and largely untapped) fan base, name recognition, and more importantly, toy sales. Saban has a history of focusing on toys more than everything else given much of their production is reliant on Toei, the Japanese parent company owner of the footage Saban uses in the show. From the beginning, any original idea Saban came up with was influenced by toy sales. The original Mighty Morphin ran for as long as it did (combining footage from two different Super Sentai series) because it was still a money-making juggernaut. For the first few seasons, they kept the suits but changed most everything else.
Completely American additions such as Lord Zedd, the Tenga Warriors, Rito Repulsa, the shark cycles, the few times the Ninja Megazord combined with the first season zord Titanus, the weird sparkle suit power up, and even as far as keeping Jason David Frank on as the Green, and later White, Ranger despite the sixth ranger being written out of the series early on were all a result of toy sales. This mentality followed the series through its entirety due to the superhero boom. Power Rangers has always competed with some sort of superhero material, and it has only gotten more egregious thanks to Marvel essentially dominating shelves. Thus Saban and toy maker Bandai have gotten used to changing designs in order to compensate. Back when Saban re-acquired the Power Rangers license in 2011 and released Power Rangers Samurai, they tacked on original, "mega" armors each episode in order to not seem plain compared to the numerous Avengers toys littering the shelves.
With the toy first mentality in mind, it is time to discuss the issue at hand. A few days ago, Entertainment Weekly revealed how Saban/Lionsgate's Power Rangers will look and it didn't exactly light the world on fire. The fans seemed divided between "Oh man, this is the mature Power Rangers I've always wanted" and "They're all Iron Man." Unfortunately, everyone is kind of right in this situation. Given the design, the upcoming reboot will most likely be a little darker. Hopefully not so dark as to scare kids away or fill it with subjects that will fly over their heads, but it is definitely not being made with kids in mind. Given the sultrier design of Rita Repulsa (thus taking the meaning out of her name) and the Rangers themselves, coupled with the tone of the images released thus far, I'm not expecting anyone in this movie to say "morphinomenal" or indulge in any of the goofiness the series made itself known for.
The film is wholly an American creation, and thus cannot rely on the popularity of a currently running series like the first movie did, resulting in the "Iron Man" suit design. Expect a line of light up chest figures or maybe the red, blue, and black rangers in a set in the same aisle as next year's Marvel films. That's also why these rangers and zords, look alien and Transformer-esque. Saban is merely reflecting what is popular now, just as they did back when the first movie released. Although these designs are reminiscent of the original movie's suits, they lose what makes the property distinct. As production chases current pop culture and design, it further digs itself into a hole. Power Rangers is trying so hard to stand out among the rest of the toys, it is doing the exact opposite.
If the merchandise does not catch kids' attention, it's pretty much a death sentence. The first film may make enough money to warrant a sequel (due to folks appeasing a curiosity), but without the toy sales and child audience that keeps the TV show afloat, franchise potential will stagnate. That's why it is so important to keep the light and airy feel of the show intact. If you make the property more "grounded" or "mature" in order to appeal to the rose colored glasses of fans my age, it will lose the goofy stuff which made it fun to re-enact at playtime. One of my favorite memories is playing with the Power Morpher and Blaster as a kid and pretending I was cool enough to be a "teenager with attitude." It was because everything was so brightly colored, and admittedly stupid, my parents didn't mind that I was actually watching a show with a lot of violence. Blood replaced by sparks, the kung-fu lite fight choreography with guys in suits was deemed "TV-Y7," and the people therein were talented and attractive enough to draw attention. But that is not the path the reboot is headed in. Instead it is already closing itself off.
At its core, Power Rangers has always been about equal opportunity power and this was reflected at playtime. Although the first American team featured two women in conventionally feminine colors like pink and yellow, it was a response to the lack of women in the Japanese version of the show, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. Realizing they wanted more girls to buy the toys, Saban cast a woman for the male yellow and the footage went on just fine. It was a show breaking ground in more ways than one with multi-cultured teams and a strong foundation of teamwork and gender equality. The first season may be filled with weak plots and PSAs a la Captain Planet, but as they got their footing things improved. As the show evolved over the years, it was also better to its women. Character development improved, they wore more masculine colors, and more toys depicting these women were made. The Japanese design of the suits themselves also became more minimalist to reflect the changing times. The only way to really tell them apart was a skirt sometimes.
In the reboot, the suits are definitely not appealing to little girls. The reboot design may take on the tightness of the original spandex (replaced by the alien technology the reboot is pushing), but they're far too detailed. The boob plates and heels are definitely un-nerving and little girls are way smarter than that. Since the pink and yellow rangers look so feminine, it's going to mean boys won't be further encouraged to buy them. Rather than the collect them all frenzy of the original Rangers, boys are only going to want those rangers specifically marketed with them in mind. If the pink and yellow Power Ranger figures don't sell, they will be produced less and will even get less character development as a result. Since this trend has a precedent in the way the TV show has been marketed, it only worries me more so.
When Power Rangers Super Megaforce, the series touted as a 20th Anniversary celebration, released, Bandai produced a line of "Legendary Ranger" keys. In the show, these keys were used to transform into any of the heroes from years past and were definitely a money-making idea. But each set released only featured the red, blue, and black rangers from each team and neglected to include the women. Even their current running series, Dino Charge, has a weird production ratio. For every five red, blue, and black rangers, there are only one or two pink ones. While this show has been better at capturing the feeling of nostalgia than the reboot likely will be, only two of the series's ten Power Rangers are women. Despite the gender swap casting it has done in the past, Saban refuses to do so again because they have dug themselves into such a non-inclusive hole the only safe way to make money is to double down on what little masculine audience they have left.
I really want the reboot to succeed, but seeing Saban make the same mistakes on a larger scale is troublesome. In trying to put its best foot forward among the litany of comic book films and other nostalgia ridden properties, it is merely becoming a carbon copy of those that came before. Instead of doubling down on a troubling methodology, the production should double down on what really helped the original series succeed for as long as it did. After losing the rights to Disney, and only getting them back five years ago, Saban has never quite reached the same levels it used to.
The TV series had bad writing or acting at times, but Power Rangers managed to capture the zeitgeist of living in the 90s. It truly understood what growing up at the time meant. It meant obnoxious colors and sayings coupled with even more obnoxious styles. Part of what dates it also makes it that much more relevant. True nostalgia is all about recapturing the feeling of those halcyon days of youth. We have enough cinema making a statement or delving into gritty themes (just take a look at what are supposed to be the most comic booky films of the year, Captain America: Civil War or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), but we don't have enough films where teens just beat up monsters while making forced puns. I mean, the reboot is so serious it doesn't even carry the Mighty Morphin' moniker.
As it stands, the Power Rangers reboot won't appeal to anyone. Not even adding the original show's theme to a trailer will save it.

Reboots with a negative attitudeI love Power Rangers. When I say love, I mean I have been following the show for twenty-two years. Every awkward season, every bad theme song (Operation Overdrive has a rap, if you were wondering which one was the worst), eve...

Last month we mentioned that you can buy a life-sized armored Batman statue for $8,000. Well, if you have another couple grand laying around near your cabinet full of Fabergé eggs, you can now buy new life-sized statut...

As the hype builds for the March 25th release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, news came in of a new movie tie-in collectible. If you have ever wanted a 1.95 meter (6'4") statue of Ben Affleck as an armored Batman, it c...

If you were hankerin' for more LEGO movies, we're getting a huge chunk of them all at once. Since WB's first big animated effort (for its smaller affiliate group), The LEGO Movie, did so well in theaters, we're not only getti...

So with everything under the sun getting a big screen adaptation these days, it's high time for Play-Doh to get in the game. No, really. No, seriously. Like, really really. According to Deadline, Hasbro approached Fox and Pau...

There's not really much to say other than this is a neat little ditty promoting Birdman's victory lap through some theaters after taking home the Best Picture Oscar. But it's just really, really neat. If you haven't yet, you should watch Big Birdman too.
"Smells like balls."

Toy company Funko recently showed off some of its newest line of retro-styled ReAction action figures based on Disney's upcoming reboot of Tomorrowland. So far, not much is known about the film other than its starring c...

More Wahlberg, more jokes, and more semen apparently
Ted was a nice surprise. Seth MacFarlane's passion project shined with all of the humor and heart that I would've never expected from the guy who brought us Family Guy. Then A Million Ways to Die in the West came along and w...

It may not have been a good film, or even entertaining, but Ouija is going to get a sequel on top of its already bare bones story because it made near $85 million dollars from its slim $5 million dollar budget.
In an in...

Oct 24 //
Nick Valdez[embed]218506:41919:0[/embed]
OuijaDirector: Stiles WhiteRelease Date: October 24, 2014 Rating: PG-13
The Ouija board game is serious business in Ouija. When Debbie (Shelley Hennig) dies from an apparent suicide, her best friend Laine (Olivia Cooke) finds out her death was a result of a mysterious game of Ouija. Distraught and wanting to somehow speak to her lost friend, she plays the game with a group of her friends in Debbie's now abandoned house (as all the parents in the town have hilariously left on trips at the same time). Then they find out that Ouija is more than just a game, and now they've woken up something they shouldn't have.
For a film that's a little under an hour and a half, I could somehow feel myself aging watching Ouija. They say mankind's biggest fear is the passage of time, so I'd like to give Ouija some props for reminding me that life has an expiration date. It's from first time director Stiles While, so I'm not really sure how to criticize something like this. There are so many generically made decisions which don't stand out enough to be even ironically enjoyable. For example, there are about 500 jump cuts/scares. To be fair they are set up quite effectively on the first few occasions but, like in every other buffet situation, by the 50th or so jump scare they lose their effect no matter how involved you may be with the material. After awhile it just reeks of desperation. But the saddest part of all of this is Ouija could have worked had it not tried so hard.
While it takes a bit too long to get everything going (the kids don't actually play the game until about 30 minutes in and when your film is only 90 minutes, that's pretty bad), there are some good bits. Before it reveals a ghost that's so overplayed (it's basically the same ghost in every other horror films like Mama and the Insidious films) the final act almost has to follow the same tropes as other films of its ilk, Ouija oddly feels unique. The "seance" scenes themselves were broken down to connect with audience members who've played the game before, the lines you'd expect from a Ouija film ("You're moving it!" "I'm not even touching it!") are sort of interesting in a funny way, and the cast handles the overly serious material well. In fact, it's the first victim Debbie that's the best actress in the whole thing. More so than the main actress Olivia Cooke, Shelley Hennig as Debbie is just wonderful as she seems to realize what kind of film this is. She mixes in a playful attitude into her performance and it lights up the screen.
But unfortunately, no matter how good singular elements may seem, many odd choices (like the numerous cuts, weird soundtrack, yet another vaguely ethnic wise woman) smother what goodness there is. Ouija just sort of piles onto a plate of bland cherry gelatin. You can see some pieces of fruit in there maybe, but what those fruits actually are remains a mystery. Are they chunks of pineapple? Maybe cherries? Who knows as they're all bathed in a red goo that's so thick and wobbly you're not even sure if you're supposed to eat it. You're just left stunned with the thought someone putting it together was a good idea.
In accordance with Ouija's theme, I'll end this review with a seance of my own. Pretend you and I are in a creepy room using our smart phone flashlights like in the movie:
"As friends we've gathered, hearts are true, spirits near we call to you."
"Is there someone there?"
The spirits point to YES.
"Should we go see Ouija?"
The spirits spell out "PASS" on this one.

Ouija you glad I didn't say banana? Ouija, read as "wee jah" and not "wee gee," is the latest in a line of films I can't believe exist. Movies are pretty much made from anything with a recognizable name now. I mean, we're in a post-Battleship world here pe...

I have actually never watched an episode of the new My Little Ponies, but man are they popular. Like, scarily so. Who knows that it is. Well, I'm sure I could find plenty of fans who could tell me what it is, but that's not t...

You know what I've never once thought? "There should be female versions of Freddie Krueger and Jason Vorhees!" And even if I had, I certainly wouldn't have followed that thought with, "Let's put them in skimpy outfits and sex...

Disney opened up New York Comic Con with a bang. First they showed off the first trailer for Tomorrowland and then they finally released a trailer for Big Hero 6 that wasn't just a bunch of cute stuff from Baymax. ...

While we've got our first in motion look at Tomorrowland thanks to a New York Comic Con panel yesterday morning (more on that later), the revealed teaser was a small look at what's going on. Thanks to an exclusive toy spotted...

Fantastic Mr. Fox has quite the cult following behind it (as do all Wes Anderson movies) so it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that Funko, the toy makers who make cult following toys, is releasing some new toys for...

People left Guardians of the Galaxy with two thoughts. The first being that the movie was awesome. The second being that they wanted a dancing Groot like those dancing Santas they have. Thankfully Marvel likes to sell th...

I really, really can't believe this exists. You know how on some TV shows you'll see a joke about an intentionally bad trailer based on a random product? This is exactly like one of those. In the same vein as Battleship, Oui...

To be honest, I only chose this story because it reminded me about that one episode of The Simpsons where Homer changed his name to Max Power (He's a man whose name you love to touch...but you mustn't touch), and any chance I...

Jun 26 //
Liz RuggToy details: TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION Robots In Disguise One-Step Changers - Kids will have a blast converting characters like OPTIMUS PRIME, GRIMLOCK, BUMBLEBEE, DRIFT, LOCKDOWN, each with their own unique method of converting inspired by the film—flip it, pop it, pull it and more! More at Hasbro.com.

Hello dear readers, today we've got a pretty cool contest opportunity for you! To coincide with the film's theatrical release this week, we have some awesome Transformers: Age of Extinction Hasbro toys to give away ...

I'm a little more excited for Transformers: Age of Extinction thanks to this trailer because, much like the rest of the series, this looks like a whole lot of fun hooey. Giant snail ships, face cannons, fire breath, Stanley ...

Life in plastic. It's fantastic. Looking for the next Transformers or The LEGO Movie, Sony's search for the next big toy movie has brought it to Mattel's Barbie. Closing a partnership with Mattel, Sony hopes to start a franchise based on the children's popul...

A board member on the action figure-themed Japanese forum ACToys has gotten their hands on the new TMNT action figures. And boy, do they look awful! Even by the standards of movie figures, these look pretty sub-par.
As Flixis...

Marvel just released a teaser photo for their upcoming line of Guardians of the Galaxy-themed action figures, based on the teaser photo they sent out about a month ago. These figures will be released under the Marvel Legends:...

It's been a week now since I've seen The LEGO Movie (and reviewed it!), and I still can't get it out of my head. Everything is still awesome, I want a double decker couch, and my friends and I have been quoting Lego Batman l...

Feb 07 //
Nick Valdez[embed]217259:41221:0[/embed]
The LEGO MovieDirectors: Phil Lord and Christopher MillerRelease Date: February 7th, 2014Rating: PG
At first The LEGO Movie sounds like your average children's adventure fare. Emmet (Chris Pratt) is an average builder who always follows (quite literally) the rules of life until he stumbles on the "Piece of Resistance," a mystical object foretold to put an end to President Business (Will Ferrell)' evil plan to freeze the universe in place with the "Kragle." And while the frame of the story is admittedly generic (average guy meets cool girl, average guy finds thing, average guy becomes the hero with the power that was in him all along), everything else in the film wonderfully covers it up with a sweet, yet somewhat parodical take on the hero's journey itself. What makes The LEGO Movie stand out from the rest of the kid (or even "adult appropriate") films is how it becomes an all encompassing and inclusive film for everyone. Everything is awesome, so everyone wins.
Before I get back to explaining what I mean by all of that, let me just gush how beautifully animated LEGO is for a bit. In a marriage between stop motion animation and (unfortunately noticeable) CG, the Lego people move and groove with a wonderfully charismatic grace. Emmet, average as he is, is well done. You wouldn't expect to get proper emotions from an object with a cylindrical shaped head, but Emmet's positivity radiates and is stupidly infectious. Beyond the animation (which is filled with little details like using actual Lego fire pieces and explosions comprised of tiny blocks), the Lego worlds are prime for nostalgia and "look at that" moments.
Basically The LEGO Movie is a celebration of all things Lego, and unfortunately that also means that LEGO troublingly comes off as toy commercial at times. Every licensed Lego product (from Speed Racer to hilariously even The Simpsons) is here in full force, and there's a good chance kids (and some of us "adults" like myself) will be chomping at the bit to buy a set or two. To LEGO's credit, everyone will respond to this differently (which is why I couldn't figure out if this is a positive or negative aspect of the movie). For parents, they might remember playing with "The Old West" sets, and kids'll recognize the Batman set they have at home.
And that's exactly how The LEGO Movie wants us to think. There's a beauty in how exquisitely it handles every age group. You remember how I noted how simplistic LEGO seems at first glance? It's because it needs a simple story in order to build layers and layers of thematic resonance. There is the fight between conformity and creativity, adulthood and the loss of imagination, collecting toys versus playing with them, and discovering and accepting the positive facets of oneself. The fantastic thing about Miller and Lord's script overall is that you can still completely miss all of this and enjoy the film wholeheartedly because its packed with such love for adventure and childhood wonder.
It's also filled to the brim with wonderful people doing wonderful things. Chris Pratt's Emmet is enjoyingly (and never annoyingly) positive, Elizabeth Banks' Wildstyle is a strong presence, Charlie Day gets to be Charlie as the 80s Something Space Guy, Morgan Freeman spoofs his standard casting and plays a wise sage who isn't very wise, Jonah Hill is the best Green Lantern, Channing Tatum should just play Superman for real already, Liam Neeson turns out a splendid voiceover as a dual Good Cop/Bad Cop, and Will Arnett takes his growly demeanor and blends it with his comedic timing to become one the best Batman ever committed to film. There's a scene where they're all driving in the Batmobile and it's the smartest Batman joke I've heard in years (NO PARENTS!).
It's not a perfect film as it reminds you it's a kid flick when the humor sometimes takes an immature turn, but it does so many things well it's hard to notice. Someone like myself who has, and still has, a strong connection with his childhood and toys, may be walking away with more than someone who doesn't like Lego as much. But on whatever end of the spectrum you fall, know there is still a strongly written, animated, and acted film here to be found.
There is enough here to draw someone in from every audience. And really, that's what Lego philosophy is all about. You take an assortment of bricks, present them to someone, and hope they'll be inspired enough to find their own meaning in that mass of blues and reds.
Matthew Razak: I was surprised to find that people were surprised that The LEGO Movie was smart, clever and insanely fun. I've been playing the LEGO games for years and I'm well aware that the company knows how to make a quality animated product, but many people don't have that background and so they go in scratching their head about LEGO having it's own movie. The come out smiling, though. The LEGO movie is just plain fun, with a little bit of heartwarming thrown in and just the right dash of adult cultural references and jokes to make it a blast for everyone. Great -- 81

I'm gonna pick up the pieces and build a Lego movieSince its first delightful teaser over a year ago, I have been eagerly anticipating The LEGO Movie more so than any other movie releasing in 2014. I was instantly drawn to the idea of seeing the very Lego sets I played with a...

So there's a good chance The LEGO Movie is going to do extremely well in the box office, and there's a good chance (thanks to positive early reviews and Matt saying it's great), it's good enouhg to warrant that performance. B...

You've got dinosaurs in my robots! You've got robots in my dinosaurs!
Folks, this might be the Transformers movie we've all been waiting for. While this official Super Bowl spot is short, it gives us more information than we can handle. In fact, this looks like a completely different series. G...

I ain't afraid of no bricks. Joining the recently (and awesomely) announced The Simpsons licensed set, Brent Waller's Ghostbusters CUUSOO project (a site where artists can pitch ideas to be made into real sets much like the Back to the Future set release...

In anticipation of its release a week from now, The LEGO Movie has one more hilarious trailer under its belt. As it toys with the overt seriousness of Man of Steel's previous trailers, this trailer comes complete with a...

Fox taps three green mana and plays adaptationBeing an ex-Magic: The Gathering player I can tell you that its best element is its deep and intrinsic plot. No, seriously, there's a pretty impressive world created behind the card game that you can dive into, it's just not ...

Ever since Trans4mers officially became Transformers: Age of Extinction, we've been waiting for our first look at one of them fancy automatons. We've gotten images of the shiny new cars, shiny new cast, shiny new Michael Bay,...

Thanks to Hasbro creating a new line of toy robots to release alongside each and every Transformers movie, it was only a matter of time before we'd get the skinny on which giant robots are punching other giant robots in the f...

Every day my excitement builds brick by brick.
After the first teaser showed Ninja Turtles interacting with DC superheroes like only LEGO can, we've been all waiting for a better and more filling look of The LEGO Movie. It's got a style that's instantly grabbing, the voi...

RetrofractionDeepwater Horizon was really good! I would probably rate it as my favorite movie this year.DwavenhobbleOh so there's already a narrative in the making that anyone who dislikes Spiderman Homecoming is merely Racist because of Black MJ. Does that mean I can call anyone who disliked Suicide Squad racist now?RetrofractionMy team that I organized and directed won best story in the IFP Phoenix 48 hour short challenge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)RetrofractionI enjoyed the new Star Trek, not the best, but I think it is a very good step in the right direction and is much better than into the darkness.RetrofractionSaw the new Ghost Busters movie, it was pretty good. But I think the humor and the script needed work, it kind of dragged on toward the end.Ckervin[url="http://www.flixist.com/blogs/Ckervin/the-future-is-looking-pretty-rough--220323.phtml"]The future is looking pretty rough[/url] in these films!CkervinWell, this one will be interesting! [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foGraEVNI0s[/youtube] RetrofractionWell super excited to see Hateful Eight sometime soon, but does anyone have and recommendations for some good indie films?imran haiderNiko Nikohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEvXKWv4hwcNieroTesting Quickposts! You can now leave a short note on Flixist about anything, and continue/convert it to a blog later